


The Spirit of the House [The Haunted AU]

by PurelyRainbow



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), The Haunted - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Ghost Hunters, Herobrine - Freeform, Minecraft, Multi, Not sure what else to tag but enjoy!, Paranormal, The Haunted Au, The Haunted fanfic, non-romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurelyRainbow/pseuds/PurelyRainbow
Summary: Drake, Armen, Grayson, and Maiya have been struggling for money, picking up odd jobs just to make ends meet. They're so desperate that they'll take any job they can to keep their paranormal business alive. However, when they jump at the first job their offered one bold night, they realize the house isn't just a simple spooky house case.
Relationships: Armen and Grayson, Armen and Maiya, Collin and Armen, Collin and Drake, Drake and Armen, Drake and Grayson, Drake and Maiya, Grayson and Maiya
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	1. Another Day, Another Dollar... Hopefully

**Author's Note:**

> WELCOME to the first chapter of my first Haunted fanfic! Hopefully you all enjoy! Feel free to comment and share your thoughts!
> 
> Keep in mind: this is an au of the OG haunted story. It is meant to reflect certain plot elements but not all of them, so many things have been changed.

“Long long ago… in ancient times, the world lived in peace and prosperity. Everyone was happy, and everyone kept their problems solved. There wasn’t a thing wrong. But the good isn’t always meant to stay. And one day, an evil spirit emerged from the underworld. It’s essence black, with pure white eyes. A chaotic force of destruction. It reeked havoc all over the lands. From the mightiest kingdom, to the smallest farm village. People tried to fight back, but always failed. Anyone who encountered it was doomed to die and be sent to the depths of the earth. People lost hope, and prepared to live in a world of danger and despair. But suddenly, what could only be described as the divine forces of all that was good, banished the spirit, and trapped it inside of a small dagger. The relic was tossed away somewhere no one would dare to find it, and the world was safe once again. However, there is rumors that this dagger still exists, and has been circulating around, hunting for the supposid 3 sacred ancient diamonds, the conduit to release any spirit from their relics, and the only thing powerful enough to release the chaotic spirit to the worl-”

“Drake shut the fuck up! Stop reading to yourself!” Armen yelled from the kitchen side of the hallway in their apartment. Drake sighed, shifting off his bed, tossing the book onto the bed, and peeking his head out of his bedroom door.

“How could you even hear me? I’ve got my door closed,” he called from his room.  
“It sounds like Zeus is giving an acceptance speech in there!”

“Sorry you’re not used to a voice that has actually hit puberty.” Armen poked his head into the hallway, clearly offended. 

“Excuse me?!” He said with the most cracky pubescent voice. Drake couldn’t help but laugh, Armen looked even more perturbed. “Oh so you think this is funny huh?!” His voice was still high pitched, making Drake laugh even more. Armen started to laugh as well, leaning against the wall for support. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be going through our case requests?” Drake asked, escaping from his room and heading towards the end of the hall Armen was at.

“You’re saying that like we have a tone to go through,” Armen chuckled. There was the sad truth. The idea was so perfect at the beginning, but reality was slowly rearing its ugly head. 

“There has to be at least one right?” Drake asked as he followed Armen to the computer desk they had. Armen sat down in the desk chair, pointing to the computer screen. Their website inbox was up, no new messages there. Drake frowned at this.

“Dammit. I guess we’ll have to take that cleaning job.”

“It won’t be that bad. We’ve worked there before.”

“Remember last time? The shower head snapped off!”

“It was only a little water Drake relaxed.” Drake’s frown burrowed more into his face, Armen cracking a smile. “What?”

“It’s not funny Armen.”

“I beg to differ, and I think Grayson and Maiya do too.” 

“You know that-”

“Yeah yeah, the water is highly uncomfortable for your enderman skin and could unknowingly be a health hazard. But you’re clearly okay!” Drake sighed in frustration and headed to the small living room space nearby, plopping down onto the couch.

“Are Grayson and Maiya supposed to be coming over tonight?” he asked.

“Not sure… but what would we even do?”

“Same as always. Snacks, movies, and research.”

“Why can’t we do something fun for once and go out?”

“We can’t be spending money, especially if we don’t get a job tonight.”

“But Draaaaaaake…” Armen whined. He had gotten up from the desk chair and slumped himself over the back edge of the couch.

“What?”

“We deserve a little night out!” Drake could stand a lot of Armen’s quirks, but his whining was not on that list. 

“If we get a decent enough job tonight- not the cleaning job, then we can go out tomorrow.” Armen perked up instantly, a wide boyish smile on his face. He let out a little cheer of excitement before hopping up and booking to the computer, presumably to land that job they desperately needed. Drake sighed, glancing at the stack of books still sitting on the coffee table in front of him. He had tried to read through them, but they were all written in different languages, and google translate wasn’t helping. He wasn’t as linguistic as he’d wish he was, but oh well. 

“What about a backyard cleaning job?” Armen asked over his shoulder.

“How much is it paying?”

“It says…. Oh.”

“How much.”

“50 sovereign per day.” Drake felt himself cringe at the price, but it was better than what they’ve been offered before.

“Keep it in mind, but maybe we’ll get lucky and something better will come up.” The silence fell between them again, but Drake didn’t mind. His sensitive hearing needed a break every now and then. He could only feel bad for the ancient enderman that had to deal with screaming people back then. Times were thankfully different nowadays, and people were much more considerate. Well, more quiet than considerate. It always bothered Drake that he might be the reason they never really got jobs. On their website, they had a picture of all four of them, meaning Drake’s enderman side was fully on display. He wasn’t ashamed of being the way he was, he had Armen to thank for that, and the doctors who made it all happen. A revolutionary surgery that proved a miracle, he couldn’t hate it simply for that fact. But others could, and did. The thought crossed his mind every day, that if he wasn’t a part of the group, they’d get more jobs. He could sense the silent prejudice just by walking to the grocery store. It was too obvious to ignore at times.

“Pest problem?” Armen suggested. Drake frowned slightly at the idea, but figured it might pay well.

“What are we supposed to be clearing out?”

“Uhh… lizards… “ Drake shivered at the thought.

“Count me out on that one.”

“I’ll keep looking then… “ Armen sighed. Drake was desperate for money, and would even traverse water for it, but not lizards. One of the few things he swore he’d never budge on. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Drake was a little confused who would be knocking at this time of day, until it knocked even louder, a rapid pattern. God dammit Grayson. Drake got up and made his way to the apartment door, opening it to see Grayson standing there, that signature bag full of his gadgets on his back, and an embarrassed smile. 

“Still can’t find the key?”

“I’m telling you someone took it! I’ve turned my apartment upside down hunting for it,” Grayson explained as he made his way under Drake’s arm and into the apartment. Drake sighed and closed the door, following Grayson in. “Maybe one of those mischievous spirits took it,” Grayson guessed.

“Or you just lost them.” Grayson frowned.

“Or a spirit took them.” Drake laughed and sat back down onto the couch.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get copied or something.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Driveway clearing?” Armen piped up from the computer desk.

“If it pays well enough, I don’t think it’d be too bad,” Drake responded.

“So no job tonight?” Grayson asked as he searched for something from his bag.

“Yeah, nothing new. And I’m not looking forward to taking that cleaning job if it comes down to it.”

“It was just a little water man, no big deal.” Grayson let out a chuckle remembering the incident. “It was pretty funny.”

“I will kick you out right now,” Drake threatened. Grayson simply laughed as he pulled out one of his small radar trackers, fiddling with some of the settings. Despite how dumb he could be sometimes, Grayson was pretty smart. A whiz with technology, enough to create his own equipment and upgrade the standards to be even better. Drake was always surprised why he stayed to help them besides going to work at some tech company for better payment. Then there was another knock at the door, confusing the three men in the room. Drake got up to get the door, only for it to suddenly swing open, Maiya standing there with a bright smile.

“Hello!” she called into the room, closing the door with a graceful turn. “Forgot I had a key.” Classic Maiya really, free spirited and kind, but easily forgetful and distracted. But her ungodly knowledge of the spiritual connections of the world and her ability to translate some of the most difficult languages outweighed any small issues. That and her elven nature gave her a good 6th sense that the others struggled to even sense. It was good to have in the paranormal business. “So, what’s today’s job?” she asked with that same happy tone she always had. 

“Nothing yet right now. Armen is looking. The best we’ve gotten is a backyard cleaning job,” Drake explained.

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad. A good work to grim up and expose one’s self to the elements.” Maiya smiled, setting down her small bag and sitting on the other side of Drake. 

“Not sure how I’d feel breaking my back in the heat of day,” Grayson chuckled.

“Oh come on. It’s not that hot during the day. It’s only October.”

“But the cold fronts haven’t come in yet, so it is.”

“You’re just being a baby about it.” They were interrupted by a ding that sounded from the computer, followed by Armen letting out a noise of confused surprise and waving a frantic hand for them to come over. The three of them got up and crowd around the computer, seeing the message on their website. Armen opened it, the title reading ‘Urgent investigation needed’.

“Dear paranormal investigators, I desperately need your help. My family owns an old manor that was owned by my grandfather. He was a paranormal enthusiast and owned many supposedly haunted things. He passed many years ago and no one has lived in the house since. My family visits every now and then to check on things, and weird things always happen when we do. We always brushed them off, but recently the neighbors have mentioned many violent things occurring in the house. Please come and help figure out what’s causing this. We don’t want the house to be abandoned. Thank you,” Armen read aloud. A wide smile appeared on all their faces, sharing excited looks between one another. 

“Looks like we’ve got our job for tonight,” Grayson announced.

“Let them know we can be there tonight,” Drake said. Armen did so and quickly typed out a response as the other three started to gather their things. Drake grabbed his bag from the hook it hung on near the door. He gathered a few of the books they always brought with them, mostly general knowledge of classic paranormal situations. But something compelled him to go to his room and check for anything. “I’ll be right back,” he mumbled as he headed to his room down the hall. Walking in, the first thing he noticed was the book he had left on the bed, still open on the page he was reading. It was just a book of scary ghost stories that claimed to be true. Nothing that would do any good, yet Drake still took the book and put it into his bag. He also made sure to grab his jacket incase of any surprised storm. He tied the garment around his waist before heading back to the living room.

“They sent the address. They also said they’d be there to give a bit more information before they have to go home. The house is about half an hour away,” Armen explained as he grabbed his bag and started to quickly pack. 

“It’s probably over in that old suburb. Those houses are extremely creepy,” Grayson commented.

“It's odd that we don’t get more calls over there. The old fermented energy could cause for a pretty interesting poltergeist,” Maiya piped in. 

“Let’s just hope the violence isn’t too bad with this one,” Armen lamented. “I don’t know if I can handle a door edge to the back of the head again.”

“Oh come on Armen, it was just a door. It was funny,” Drake mocked. Armen frowned as Maiya and Grayson laughed. “Let’s just get going so we aren’t out super late.” The four investigators made their way out of the apartment, quickly locking the door before descending down the stairs. They only lived on the 3rd floor so it was never too much of an issue. Elevators had more risk for paranormal happenings than stairs, of course which meant danger. Once the group got to the bottom, they headed for the car garage nearby. Luckily the garage was free parking for residents of the apartment building, meaning Grayson didn’t have to park on the street edge and risk someone taking a practical joke too far. They came upon the average sized SUV. They never tried to get something to deck out in computers like you’d see in movies. A simple car to go to and from would always do. 

Grayson hopped into the driver seat, Drake in the passenger, with Maiya and Armen in the back. They soon set off for the mysterious manor. The drive started off quiet, with only light conversation here and there. Drake kept quiet as he kept watching the outside pass by.

“Armen, you okay?” Maiya asked from the back. Drake glanced back to see Armen looked a little nervous. Odd.

“Y-yeah I’m fine,” he croaked in a high pitched crack. Drake frowned. He knew that tone meant he was scared.

“Be honest Armen,” Drake coaxed. 

“I just… got a bad feeling about where we’re going… I-I don’t know… “

“Well if you’d like you can stay in the car as we go inside,” Maiya suggested.

“No, the bad feeling is about everything. Us even driving to the place.”

“Armen, we really need this money. It’s the whole reason we started this,” Drake tried to remind him. “We’ll be okay. I’m sure of it.”

“Besides, the worst that will happen is Drake gets water spilled on him again or something,” Grayson spoke up, laughing along with Maiya as Drake frowned. However Armen wasn’t really laughing. He still seemed terrified.

“M-maybe I’m just nervous since it's been a while,” Armen mumbled, relaxing a little into his seat despite his body still being tense.

“Would you like some herbal scents?” Maiya offered, Armen dismissed it however, mumbled that he was okay without them. The drive was silent the rest of the way until they pulled into the neighborhood. Drake noticed the shifting from Armen’s side, it sounded frantic as they passed through the entrance. 

“Wait, we’re going to Rubyshire?” Armen asked with that same nervous crack in his voice.

“Yeah, this is where the address is taking us. You gonna be okay?” Grayson questioned.

“I-I mean… yeah… of course.” Armen settled back into his seat timidly. Drake could tell the shift Armen had. Drake was the only one aware of the issues he had had in the past, mostly when they were kids. The neighborhood was a bad reminder of it all. It made him sad and nervous that something similar would happen. This time to their friends. Drake always did his best to keep him calm when things like this were present, especially since he didn’t want to bother with explaining things to Grayson and Maiya . They drove around that neighborhood for a few more minutes, before making it to the back where a large house sat. 

It was on top of a hill, surrounded by thick and tall trees on 3 of 4 sides. The front side was the only one open, and a few saplings were planted nearby. Grayson parked at the bottom of the hill to avoid parking on an odd angle. There were no other cars in the area. Drake supposed the customer would be getting picked up or something. The four of them got out, the sunset giving a creepy yet majestic look to the manor. It’s wooden arches and old fashioned build only enhanced the feeling. 

“Whoa… this place is… “ Maiya mumbled.

“Old… and creepy,” Grayson finished. The four continued to ogle at the large house. They’d soon find out what awaited them inside. Grayson then started to lead the way, the rest of them following. Drake noticed Armen lagging behind, still tense.

“Hey, you gonna be okay?” Drake whispered to him. Armen jolted slightly at hearing his voice, but nodded with a nervous smile.

“I-I’ll be okay… it’s been 8 years anyways,” Armen answered. Drake gave a reassuring smile before turning to focus on their path. They now had a closer look at the building, the ancient and worn down details were more prominent. Spider webs covered most of the outside corners, and some of the glass looked close to breaking. Grayson raised his hand and gave a light but strong knock to the door. Nothing came of it. He tried again with another knock. Still nothing. Then he attempted to open the door. It opened with ease, it was unlocked. The door slid open with an eerie screech as the four of them stared into the foyer. It was dimly lit by a small chandelier from the roof, but otherwise was a dark abyss. 

“Okay… so it's unlocked… “ Grayson said. “Not creepy at all.”

“It’s quite the invitation,” Drake mentioned. 

“Let’s just get this over with. The sooner the better,” Armen suggested from behind Drake. This house probably wasn’t helping him stay calm. The investigators made their way inside, slowly creeping over the stone floors. They spread themselves out, the space big enough to hold a large enough party. It was clear the place wasn’t often cleaned. Dust caked every surface it could, and dirt was heavy on the floor, but Drake had seen worse. He walked towards the kitchen area. There sat a table with a few chairs, and a cooking area nearby. A small candle sat on the table, unlit. He studied it for a moment. There was no dust on the candle, despite the table being pretty covered. Suddenly a hiss sounded from behind him. Drake turned and jumped back slightly at the cat that stood there, its hair on edge and back hunched. The other three had turned to see what the commotion was. Grayson looked a little confused, but Armen and Maiya were already fawning over the animal. Armen slowly approached the cat, who welcomed his hand and reached into it.

“Awe… aren’t you adorable,” he cooed as he pet its head gently. At least he was calm, but Drake was now on edge. 

“Ah, it seems Mr. Whiskers has welcomed you first,” a female voice rang throughout the house. They looked up to see an older woman on the open second floor, looking down at them. She had a strange nature to her. She seemed polite, but her tone held a silent edge. “I’m sorry he startled you, he’s not a fan of half-breeds. Old instincts you know.” Drake felt that twinge of anger hit his chest, but kept his mouth silent. Despite the many facts he could pull out denying the idea, he figured he should keep it hidden. They needed this money. 

“Were you the one who contacted us?” Grayson asked. Drake watched as the cat sauntered up the stairs and to the woman. She picked up the cat, holding it close before slowly descending the stairs as she spoke.

“Yes, I am. Thank you for coming so soon. Now I did promise to pay upfront, however I do not have much money. So in addition, feel free to take any relics you wish, simply let me know what you take so I can keep stock,” she explained with that same edge. It made Drake uncomfortable, and the cat's constant glare to him wasn’t helping. 

“We can take... any relics?” Maiya confirmed.

“Yes. I give you no limit, no relic that is off limits. Like I said, my grandfather was obsessed with the paranormal and collected all things haunted when he could,” The lady explained. Maiya’s smile grew wide, clearly excited for what she could find. “Now I must warn you, the energy is violent here, especially to some potentially unwanted guests. My grandfather was highly old fashioned. I’m one of the few of my family members that can come here without fear of being hurt. My father got a large light to the back of his head once and bled for almost an hour.” The lady laughed, but it was off. Something wasn’t right with this lady, or her cat, or the house. Everything was off. “But I trust you will be just fine. Just act like normal people do and you shouldn’t be harmed” Drake couldn’t tell if the comment was directed at him or Maiya , but they both shared an uncomfortable look at either notion. “I’d best be off. I’ve left the money on the second floor for you all. It’s in a small leather bag with a drawstring. Thank you so much again, goodbye!” And just like that she was out the door, slamming it shut. The four of them stood there, all bewildered. 

“Was that comment supposed to be mobist or anti-elven?“ Maiya questioned aloud. The silence still persisted as the amazement of what just occurred continued. 

“Let’s just get this over with,” Drake grumbled. Grayson set down his bag on the stairs, pulling out a few of the gadgets they needed. Their EMF tracker, heat signature reader, EP translator, and his newest device, an energy radar. 

“Okay, who wants what instrument?” Grayson asked, holding up a few of them.

“I call the heat thingy!” Armen called, rushing over. Grayson sighed and handed it to him begrudgingly.

“You mean the infrared reader,” he corrected. Armen frowned.

“Same thing.”

“Which two are left?” Maiya asked. 

“You’ve got either the EMF or EP translator. Pick wisely,” Grayson explained. Maiya looked over the choices for a second before pointing to the EP translator. Grayson handed it to her carefully. “I guess this means you’ve got the EMF again Drake.”

“Yay.. “ Drake said sarcastically before taking it. The EMF always overreacted when they used it, and would scare the shit out of him every now and then. But he wasn’t going to try and work out whatever that energy radar was. Only Grayson really understood it. 

“Shall we explore together, then investigate separately?” Grayson asked. The group nodded and set off for the back hallways. It looked small from the archway it started from, but walking through proved it to be just an illusion. The ceiling was fairly high, with only one light in the center on the wall. Two doors sat on the other side, with a third sitting at the end of the hallway. Drake did not like the energy that came off the door. A beep sounded from the EMF in his hand suddenly and loudly as it spiked for a short moment. He jumped at the noise and fumbled to keep a hold on the device, shrinking into himself once he settled a grip. 

“I guess we found a hot spot,” Maiya pointed out, instinctively walking towards the left end of the hallways, a slightly cracked window at the end. Everything about this house was waving red flags in his face. Something definitely was here. However, he did his best to keep his cool, taking a deep breath to calm himself. The four continued their exploration, examining the hall for anything unusual. Drake heard a door screech open, looking to see Maiya had opened the farthest door in the hallway. “We got a bedroom.”

“Perfect spot for energy. We’ll have to take a closer look in there,” Grayson noted before heading towards the unsettling door at the opposite end of the hallway. Maiya made her way into the room, Drake following a ways behind. 

“Whoa… “ Maiya marvelled at the room. Drake stopped to take it all in. Most of the wall was covered in some kind of odd artifact or paper in a frame or picture pinned to the wall. It was almost creepy how most of the artifacts seemed to be covered in dried blood. “These have to be ranging from BC to now! Maybe from ancient tribes! Or cave ruins! Every single buff and scratch is still there! And the stains, it's so gritty!” Maiya continued with her excited ramble about all of it. Drake simply stayed silent and took all the decorations in. “AHH! Oh my God!” His attention was caught by Maiya’s yelp of elation. He saw her gawking at a small dagger on the wall. It had a white-ish blade, and a sharp design of dulled spikes on the hilt. The handle was smooth with an intricate design on it. Yet, three spaces stood on the hilt. They were empty, a slot for something with a jaggad but rounded shape. A gem? Maiya set down the EP on the bedside table before carefully taking the dagger in hand, holding it with the care of fine china.

“That’s a really fancy looking dagger,” Drake commented.

“It’s a medieval dagger. Royal carving implies it was for an officer, but not for actual royalty. Most likely during the 1300s if the style of metal and handle carvings are to go by,” Maiya related.

“Well it looks really important.”

“At some point it probably was. But… there's no blood or scratches or anything… no signs of use.”

“Maybe it was decorative? If it's from royal backgrounds I'm sure they could afford it.”

“I’ll have to take it back home to do more investigations on it.”

“Try not to go overboard on how many things you want to take home,” Drake pleaded with concern. Maiya frowned at him, sticking her nose in the air with a ‘hmph’.

“I have a perfect level of picking and choosing,” she proclaimed. Drake failed to suppress the chuckle he had.

“If you say so.” 

“Hey I-” Maiya was interrupted by a sudden sound from her EP. It was a simple noise, just a weird robotic vowel, but it scared the both of them. They jumped, staring at the EP that was still sitting on the bedside table near the small holder for the dagger on the wall. 

“I guess this house is really active,” Drake said with a nervous laugh. Maiya was still silent, staring in alarm. 

“The EP isn’t turned on,” she mumbled. Drake felt his heart drop. How was that possible? Sure there were false noises when it was on, but it had never made a noise when off. Either something had turned the EP on, or something could use the EP without it being on. Drake didn’t know which idea should scare him more. “L-lets just… find Grayson and Armen.” Drake couldn’t agree more. Maiya grabbed the EP from the bedside table and the two quickly left the room. They entered the hallway to see Grayson had moved to the second room and Armen was near the creepy door at the end of the hallway. 

“Hey Drake, can you- oh. You two look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Grayson concurred. “You two okay?”

“We uhh… “ Drake stuttered as he and Maiya shared a nervous look. “We just heard something really odd from the EP,” he explained.

“What do you mean?” Grayson questioned.

“It kinda… made noise… without it being turned on,” Maiya confessed. Grayson’s eyes went wide for a moment before changing to a look of confusion. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an EP doing that.”

“Well it definitely happened if more than one of us heard it.”

“We’ll make sure to do a thorough search in that room. But Drake, I need you to do a scan of this bedroom. It's unusually cold.” Drake did as told, slowly entering the other bedroom in the hall. This room wasn’t covered in odd artifacts on the wall, but rather stocked with many shelves of crystals and magical looking things. Things from ancient loot you’d find in the old mob caves of the past, to things he could only describe as healing crystals or something of the sort. He wouldn’t know. The moment he stepped foot into the room, the EMF started blaring. The high pitched beeping startling him enough to cause him to drop the damn thing. He quickly picked it up, doing a check to make sure it wasn't broken before walking further into the room.

“You’re right about one thing, it’s very cold in here,” he mumbled with a slight shiver from the temperature change. He watched the EMF carefully as he slowly wandered through the room. This bedroom was much bigger than the first one, but the many shelves could easily trick someone. As he approached one of the shelves full of crystals that seemed to glow, he noticed a small amulet near them. It was an amethyst color, but the texture and shape of a quartz. The closer he got, the more the EMF spiked and rang. “The electrical energy is coming from the crystals,” he informed.

“Is there a wire hooked up to them?” Grayson asked.

“No, they’re just… giving off their own energy… like they’re a power source of their own.” Drake had heard of how some gems and crystals could emanate their own currents of energy, but only under extreme pressure and heat. How could these crystals just sit here and cause a signature as strong as an electrical box?

“Grab a few of them for us to look into. We’ll leave this room out since the crystals will interfere,” Grayson said as he retreated to another part of the house, Maiya following. Drake took a few of the crystals. A red, green, pink, and light blue one. He then grabbed the amulet and put it into his pocket. He knew it was selfish to take something like that simply for its look, but he didn’t have a consequence to be weary of. He exited the bedroom, seeing Armen still by the old creepy door at the end of the hall. 

“Armen?” he called out. Armen snapped out of whatever trance he must’ve been in and turned to Drake. 

“Hm?”

“You okay?”

“Uh… yeah. I just spaced out I guess… “ Armen gave a sheepish smile. Drake glanced at the door, the red flag feeling rushing back to him.

“I really don’t like the energy that door gives off. It’s like something is… trapped down there.”

“Yeah… it's really creepy… Let's just finish this up so we can go home soon.” 

“Right behind ya.” The two followed where Grayson and Maiya had gone, into the open foyer again. They saw Grayson looking around the kitchen, and Maiya just heading upstairs. 

“Damn, You’d think they’d clean out the kitchen if no one ever stays here,” Grayson muttered as he searched the fridge. “They’ve got stacks of spoiled food in here.”

“Really?” Armen questioned and moved to take his own look into the fridge. “Oh gross man!” He recoiled with a green look on his face. Drake let out a light laugh.

“So you won’t be shunned at a disgusting toilet but spoiled food makes you sick?” he teased. Armen frowned.

“Take a look for yourself, I doubt you can handle it any better.” Challenge accepted. Drake made his way to the fridge, Armen moving out of the way in a huff. Drake looked into the fridge, and wouldn’t lie that it looked gruesome inside. Tupperware and fruit bags full of spoiled food. Thankfully it was all contained to avoid any abominable smells. But then something caught his eye. Red and shiny, and fresh. Definitely fresh. It was an apple, perfectly untouched by rot. He grabbed it, palming it slightly.

“I guess not everything in here is spoiled,” he mentioned. 

“Oh come on! You weren’t even phased by that?!” Armen shrieked in disbelief. Drake and Grayson laughed.

“Not everyone has a sensitive stomach like you Armen,” Grayson teased as he closed the fridge and grabbed his scanner from the counter. 

“Oh shut-” They heard Miaya let out a screech as a loud clatter of thuds sounded upstairs. The three boys froze as they quickly grabbed their things and rushed upstairs. Drake left the apple on the counter to trade it for the EMF device. The trio made their way, making it to the top of the stairs to find Miaya on the floor with a heap of books around her. She sat up a little and gave a sheepish smile.

“Books aren’t as sturdy as I thought… “ she explained. The three of them let out a sigh in relief before going to help her up. Drake noticed all the books were similar to the ones they owned. Research and stories of the paranormal, demons, other weird anomalies. Then there was one, the sequel to the book of old paranormal stories Drake happened to bring with them. He picked it up, examining it as Miaya, Grayson, and Armen started to clean up the pile of books. The cover was clearly old and a little worn, but overall in tacket. This was definitely worth keeping, so he put it inside his backpack.

“Oh, this must be the money she left us,” Grayson mentioned as he walked over to a small leather drawstring bag on a small lamp table near the window. Armen and Maiya finished putting the books back when they heard,” Are you kidding me?!” Grayson dumped out the money from the bag. Only a small pile of copper coins came out. “We’ve been jipped!”

“What the hell?!” Armen whined. This really put a sour taste in everyone's mouth. They thought they finally got a break to do their actual job, yet they didn’t even get paid half of what was promised. 

“I guess we can just take as many nick nacks as we can carry and sell them,” Grayson suggested. It was better than nothing. Suddenly there was a small and almost silent thud from down stairs. The four moved to look over the railing of the second floor to see what caused the noise. All they saw was the apple Drake had set on the counter had fallen off, and was rolling on the floor slowly. Then the book from one of the bookshelves fell. They looked over, a suspicious feeling creeping up their spines. “Let’s just head down stairs and make sure we’ve looked everywhere before we investigate further.” The four investigators made their way downstairs, making sure to take the pitiful payment with them. Once in the foyer, they heard another thump from upstairs, just before the small light up there went out. 

“Maybe the spirit is a little angered… “ Miaya commented. 

“It seems a little aggressive… “ Grayson confirmed. “So did we cover everything in the house?”

“I think all we missed was that creepy door in the hallway… “ Armen said. 

“I don’t know if I want to-” All at once, the doors and windows started to rattle. The fridge door shook and the windows bounced as if the wind was trying to rip them away. It was violent and scary. “Nevermind the creepy door doesn’t sound too bad!” Drake finished. The four hastily made their way towards the creepy old door, and yet all hesitated. Grayson then made the first move, opening the door. It was a dark abyss with a small light at the bottom, glimmering. They made their way down to escape the fierce attack on the building, but left the door open. Slowly they stepped, one by one on the cold old steps, slight creaks sounding with every shift. They made it to the bottom floor, finding a similar situation to the one bedroom upstairs. Artifacts and frames littered the wall, as well as things sitting on the floor and throughout the basement. 

“What the hell is this place?” Grayson muttered as he started to wander through the piles of things. 

“Another hoarding room I’d say,” Miaya answered. They started to disperse through the room, looking around at the different objects on display. Nothing seemed to stand out much, it was all generically creepy and oddly covered in blood too. Then there were the jewels. They were each sitting on their own pedestals, three of them, just sitting there. Drake stepped forward to take a closer look. They were shining in the dim light of the room, a soft glow seeming to emanate from them. Drake then picked up a stone, feeling its texture against his skin. Diamond. Most likely pure diamond, its blueish color gave more evidence to the case. The shape looked familiar too… it was a similar shape to that of the holes in the hilt of the dagger Miaya and he had found. 

“Hey Maiya, I think I found something that’s supposed to go with that dagger thing,” Drake called to her. She smiled wide and made her way over to him.

“What did you find?! A dagger sleeve?! What- oh!” She saw the gems and smiled even wider somehow. “Gems!!” She quickly pulled out the dagger from her backpack and held out. Drake then took the other two gems. 

“These look like they go in the holes.”

“Well put them in.” Drake did so. He carefully fit the three gems into the small holes of the dagger hilt. They fit perfectly, almost melding together. They looked at gems sitting there, only for a moment. 

“I guess they just fell out or something?” Then the dagger started to buzz. Vibrate. Shake violently in Maiya’s hand. She yelped and dropped it to the ground, the two of them stepping back in fear. Grayson and Armen looked over, noticing the moving dagger and becoming just as startled. It kept shaking and jolting, a small glow starting to form. Then the objects started floating. The artifacts on the walls and floor started to lift slowly, as if gravity didn’t exist anymore. 

“Guys. Guys! Guys!! Fuck fuck fuck!” Armen yipped. They turned to see Armen had started to float as well, trying to hang onto Grayson to stay grounded. Grayson grabbed his hand, only to start floating as well. Soon Maiya and Drake joined the two, almost everything in the room floating. The dagger had started to spin at a rate so fast it blurred into a solid form, floating on its own with full control. The glow was more intense, a pure white light blinding them. And then, it exploded. Not an explosion of destruction, but of something being released. It let out a loud boom as it started to zip around the room, flying past them and just barely grazing their skin. They watched as it zoomed and moved, dodging what they could. 

Then it froze, standing still in mid air before a dark black fog emerged from it. Slowly it crept up into the air of space above, two white orbs showing itself at what could be called the head of the fog. It stared at the four that were still stuck floating there, then it disappeared. Suddenly, everything dropped to the ground, all of them hitting the floor hard. The investigators sat there, looking around at the mess in the basement, and trying to process what they had just witnessed.

“What the actual fuck.”


	2. Let's Just... Forget What Happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! Hope you all enjoy the craziness that happens next!

“What just happened?” Armen questioned nervously. Drake rubbed the newly forming bruise on his head as he tried to come up with some kind of answer.

“Evidence?” he guessed.

“Evidence of what? There’s plenty of evidence out there proving ghosts exist,” Grayson protested.

“People still don’t believe it. And since this wasn’t recorded in any way, they definitely won’t believe us.” Maiya had moved and picked up the dagger, inspecting it closely. She then picked up the three gems that had fallen out of the dagger hilt.

“I guess these gems did go with the dagger… somehow… “ she commented as she stowed the gems into their spots on the dagger hilt, then into her backpack.

“I think we’ve done all our pay covers. We should get going before that dagger tries to kill one of us,” Grayson said as he stood and grabbed his things.

“Uh… I think it already has,” Maiya pointed out, mentioning to the pretty bad gash on Armen’s right side. Armen looked down at it in awe for a moment.

“Oh… well shit,” he blurted out. Grayson sighed and dug through his bag for their medical kit they carried.

“How did you not feel it cut you?”

“I don’t know, I was a little distracted by the sentient knife!”

“Just sit still so I can clean it off. Who knows how much dirt is on that thing,” Grayson grumbled as he started to wipe away the blood on Armen’s cut. Armen flinched a little but did his best not to move. Drake and Maiya started to dust themselves off and fix their bags onto themselves.

“So… we can confirm this house is haunted…. “ Maiya muttered. “So… I guess we should try and figure out how to put it at peace.”

“Maiya, I don’t think I want to attempt fixing it… at least not right now… “ Drake whined. The energy of the basement didn’t feel trapped anymore. It felt alive. “This place doesn’t feel too pleasant anymore.”

“It feels… happy… in a bad way… “

“Like… bad intentions happy?”

“Yeah… like that… “

“Alright, those bandages should hold until we can get back to the apartment,” Grayson said. He put away the bandages from the medical kit, as Armen twisted slightly only to wince in pain. “It mostly just cut skin, nothing too severe.”

“Still hurts,” Armen groaned as he carefully stood and grabbed his bag. The four made sure they weren’t forgetting anything and left as quickly as they could. They didn’t bother grabbing any extra artifacts to sell, or checking for any hidden rooms, or any hidden money to nab. They just left, gathered in the car in silence. And it stayed silent on the way home. Drake didn’t know what to think, and he’s sure everyone else was in the same thought. What just happened? It was something seemingly out of a horror movie. Something like Poltergeist or Blair Witch. Something shitty yet… seemingly scary. Drake was terrified at least. Armen seemed a little on edge, Maiya seemed to be suspicious, and Grayson just seemed mad that they got screwed over with their money. Drake could sense the anger from him, and it was starting to grow inside him too. Not only did the lady not even keep her promise of payment, but made some pretty rude comments that he knew made Maiya uncomfortable, and just pissed him off. He always tried his best to stay calm in a situation like that, but he was starting to get sick of how frequent he had to hold his tongue.

“Hey Drake. You’re growling again,” Grayson whispered to him. Drake frowned and took a deep breath.

“Sorry,” he whispered back. While he did have his secrets with Armen, he somehow trusted Grayson more to talk about his issues with being a hybrid. He did confess his issues to Armen, plenty of times before, but when it came to the more serious issues, he always turned to Grayson. Call it instinct, or some hidden fate, but Grayson just understood easily. Armen would always ask questions, but not understand the answers as well. Drake just needed someone who would understand what he meant when he didn’t even know what he was saying himself. Even when he mumbled in a voice not of his own, or fumble with words that didn’t agree with his mobish half. So, Grayson always helped him keep a level and human head. It was a common, and sad fact, that feral hybrid cases were common. For those who had a similar treatment to himself, involving part of the brain or head being replaced with another mob’s, sometimes the instincts of the creature would take over and that was never good. Drake was proud of the fact he had never succumbed to a breakdown like that, but some days it was pretty difficult to keep his calm.

They soon made it home, trudging up the stairs to their apartments. They agreed to congregate into Drake and Armen’s shared apartment to figure out what they had collected and how to go about the horror movie scene they experienced. Once inside, they let their bags hit the floor with a thud, and then let their bodies hit the couch with a more deafened thud. They were all exhausted, mentally and physically. No matter how much they loved this job, they were always tired after an investigation. It was silent for a moment in the room.

“So are we just not going to talk about the sentient knife that we’ve brought home or… “ Armen blurted out. The four of them shared looks, all making a silent agreement to leave it behind them.

“Yeah no,” Grayson confirmed verbally. They gave nods in agreement and a blanket of silence fell over them once again. Drake got a little lost in his head then, trying to recall the events of the night in a way that made sense. It never did. How could it? He was so hung up on what the lady said to them that he kept getting angry, and kept having to keep himself calm so he didn’t growl. It was really starting to get to him. Suddenly he heard a small shift. Drake looked over to see Maiya’s bag had moved to lay flat on the ground. He kept his gaze trained on it. It was probably nothing. Then the bag moved again, ever so slightly. He sat up a little, gently tapping the couch cushion to get someone's attention.

“Guys.”

“What?” Grayson asked, sitting up as well. Drake pointed to Maiya’s bag on the floor. Grayson, Armen, and Maiya shifted to watch the bag. It was silent for a moment. No movement. “There’s noth-” Suddenly the bag shot across the floor, ramming hard into the wall on the other side of the apartment. All of them followed the movement, shrinking into the couch out of fear. It was still for another moment before the bag shot across the floor again, this time not stopping at the wall, but continuing up it and over the ceiling.

“Get the bag!” Armen called. The four leaped from the couch, taking positions in the room. The bag kept sliding and scrapping the ceiling before leading down the wall and behind the TV. Drake took position near the TV stand, waiting for the bag to slip from the small sliver of space between the floor and TV stand. He waited in patience, bending his knees slightly to keep a better ready stance. Suddenly the bag slid again, Drake pounced to try and grab it, only to miss and hit the floor. He watched as Grayson was the next to lunge for the bag, missing just the same. Then Maiya attempted to step on the strap to keep a hold. She succeeded, but the force was too strong, and it instead yanked Maiya’s leg hard enough to make her fall back. Then Armen made his attempt, achieving capture of the bag. He held the bag tight, and it had stopped moving. Armen smiled with pride at the other three.

“What the hell did you put in your bag Maiya?” Grayson asked as he got up.

“Only the dagger,” She answered as she stood as well.

“Well we need to figure out why this thing is still active before it does anymore damage.”

“Well it's hard to do that without it being held down outside the bag.” The two continued to bicker as Drake stood, watching the bag in Armen’s arms carefully. Something about the bag irked him a little. That same terrifying happy feeling was emanating from the bag. From the dagger. He could feel it pulsing at the same pace as his heart beat. It was like the dagger was watching him, watching only him. He couldn’t look away or even move. Suddenly a sharp pain went off in his head, on his right side. He gripped his head, doing his best to stay calm. He had an urge to just attack, like he was being threatened and he needed to defend. He resisted, leaning against the TV stand for support. He had his eyes closed, the pain was too much. Then there was what sounded like a tear of thick fabric, loud and clear throughout the room.

“Drake! Duck!” Armen cried. Drake looked to see the dagger flying right for his head. It caught him so off guard that he froze before instinctively ducking. The dagger instead, hit the TV, causing a massive crack in the screen, with an even bigger sound. The dagger was quick to pull itself from the screen before flying towards Armen. He screeched and ducked as well, this time the dagger hit the wall. The dagger pulled out again, a massive hole now in the wall. The dagger circled the room, causing Grayson and Maiya to duck out of fear before it disappeared down the hallway.

“Get the dagger!” Grayson yelled before rushing after it. The other three quickly followed. The dagger had stopped at the end of the hallway, turning around once the four investigators had stopped. It quickly shot itself towards them all, aiming for their torsos. The four moved out of the way as quickly as they could, either pressing themselves against the wall or ducking enough for the dagger to miss. The dagger flew back into the living room, the four running after it. This was getting out of control. They had to think fast. Once in the living room, Drake noticed the bookshelf nearby, a huge array of novels and books that we’re heavy enough to weigh down a person easily. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in his head.

“Grayson, I’ve got an idea. Grab one of the tupperware containers. One of the big ones,” Drake said. Grayson seemed confused for a moment but followed along, rushing to the kitchen area.

“What do you want us to do?” Maiya asked.

“Just stay back and grab a book in case I miss.”

“Wait what?” Drake didn’t pay mind to Maiya’s concerns, but instead, grabbed one of the heavy books from the shelf, holding it up and ready to throw it. Hard. The dagger kept circling the room, like it was trying to speed up to cause something to happen. That or it was freaking out. Drake took a second to memorize the pattern, waiting patiently for the dagger to be in place. The moment he saw it hit position, he threw the book towards it with all the force he could muster. It flew through the hair and smashed the dagger. The two items fell to the ground with a loud thud and clatter.

“Now Grayson,” Drake signaled. Grayson moved from the kitchen and locked the dagger to the floor with the tupperware container, moving the heavy book on top. The dagger sat there, with no moment or jitters. The four sighed in relief, Maiya and Armen putting back the books they had grabbed as Drake walked over to Grayson. He knelt down to examine the dagger in its plastic cage, still a little shaken up at the damage this possessed thing could do. Then he noticed the glimmer of something just outside the tub. One of the gems had been knocked out from the collision or fall. Either way, it sat there on the floor, not even a glow around it. Drake picked it up, looking at it closely.

“I’m starting to regret taking that job,” Grayson muttered.

“Me too… but I think we’ve gotten this thing under control.”

“Have we? This thing is malicious and ready to kill us.”

“I mean… it stopped moving.. It seems to only move when all three gems are in the hilt.”

“If that’s the case, I vote we take them all out and lock them up somewhere this knife can’t get it.”

“Agreed.” The two of them carefully take out the dagger before prying out the two other gems. Drake held them close as Grayson locked the dagger back under the tupperware with the book on top. Drake must’ve been giving an odd look because Grayson looked back just as confused.

“What? I don’t want our gem theory to be wrong,” He explained. Drake sighed and shook his head before getting up.

“Whatever. I’ll go put these gems into my room so they’re far away,” Drake said.

“Alright. I guess we should try and clean up this place then.”

“I’ll come back to help once I’ve locked these away.” Drake made his way through the hallway to his room, walking in and looking for the small lock case he kept for things like this. Little magical trinkets and other things he had collected over the years. Once he found it on a shelf of his, he took the box down, placing the gems inside before locking it up tight. It was a difficult lock to undo. You needed to be able to sense magic in order to open it, meaning he was the only one able to. At least out of everyone he knew. They’d be safe in there. He was sure they would be alright. What’s the worst that could happen.


End file.
